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No. 2 Women's Golf to Compete in The Derby Invitational

The No. 2 Arizona State women's golf team will head to Auburn, Ala., for their final tournament of the fall season. The Sun Devils will compete in The Derby Invitational hosted by Auburn at the par 72 6,301-yard Auburn University Golf Club. The three-round tournament will take place Oct. 24-26.

World-Class Talent:Several members of the Arizona State showcased their superior talent at the 2008 World Amateur and proved not only are they successful on a collegiate level, but also on an international level. Anna Nordqvist helped lead Sweden to their win by placing second, shooting a 9-under 573 (70-68-74-69). Azahara Munoz led the second-place Spanish team by placing third at 3-under 287 (71-72-74-70). Munoz's compatriot and future Sun Devil teammate Carlota Ciganda tied for 11th overall. She shot a tournament low round of 7-under 66 in the second round. Juliana Murcia placed 57th overall and incoming freshman Giulia Molinaro tied for 76th.

ASU Women's Golf in the Rankings:The Sun Devils are currently ranked second according to both the Golf World/NGCA poll and Golfweek.com. Individually, Nordqvist is ranked second in the Golfweek rankings while Munoz is sixth.

Much Ado about Munoz: Reigning NCAA Individual Champion Munoz comes back for more as she looks to cap her Sun Devil career in superior fashion. Munoz, whose win at the NCAA Championships last season marked her first collegiate tournament victory, entered the season ranked No. 2 in the Golf World/NGCA poll. The native of Malaga, Spain shot par at the NCAA Fall Preview to tie for fourth. Munoz is currently ranked sixth by Golfweek. Munoz also placed 16th at the Mason Rudolph and third at the World Amateur.

Nordqvist News:All-American Nordqvist has been the team leader at both of the tournaments ASU has participated in during the fall season. Nordqvist finished runner-up at the prestigious NCAA Fall Preview, shooting a 2-under 214. She placed seventh at the Mason Rudolph Invitational and is averaging 71.17 strokes per round. The junior entered the season ranked sixth in Golf World's Players to Watch list and is currently ranked second by Golfweek.

Girls of Summer:Members of the team showcased their superior talent in numerous amateur tournaments over the summer. After finishing runner-up for two consecutive years, Nordqvist took home the Championship Trophy at the Ladies British Amateur. Incoming freshman Ciganda also brought home some hardware as she won the European Amateur for the second time. Ciganda had previously won in 2004. In addition, Murcia won the Colombian Open. Munoz fell just short of becoming only the second amateur to win both the NCAA Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year as she finished runner-up at the U.S. Amateur in July.

More to Come...The Sun Devils team will not be complete until January, when the team will welcome two more additions to the team. Carlota Ciganda of Pamplona, Spain and Giulia Molinaro of Treveso, Italy will join the team for the spring season. Ciganda is known as one of Europe's top amateurs, having recently won the European Open. Molinaro will join the Sun Devils as their third Scotland's Duke of York tournament champion. Munoz and Nordqvist have also won the prestigious girls tournament.

Up Next:The Derby Invitational marks the end of the Sun Devils fall season. They kick back into gear with their full roster in February when they head to Palos Verdes, Calif., for the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge which takes place Feb. 9-11.